These modern hot hatches are all very well and good but how do you tell yours apart from the others in the car park? One Focus RS or Civic Type R looks pretty much like any other, after all.
In the olden days, we used to change the wheels and tyres for something better - and in those days it was more of a necessity, let me tell you - but that's a costly and wasteful affair now. So it seems your only real option if you want to stand out is to choose something left-field and a bit garish, something that's only available in limited numbers, that way avoiding the possibility of turning up at the party wearing the same car as the chap next to you.
On that note, meet the Citroen DS3 Racing, a car rare enough in standard form but initially limited in this trim to a mere 100 in the UK. It took the standard car, with its deep sides and pert rump, and ran with it, among other mods dropping the ride height by 15mm, widening the track by 30mm and fitting bigger brakes and some additional carbon fibre arch extensions, front splitters and rubbing strips.
With its distinctive Obsidian Black and Sport Orange paint job option it looked like no other, which in this hot hatch context is a damn good thing. Inside, the two-tone theme continued, with the orange door trims and centre console fashioned from carbon, and some tasty and usefully deep Citroen Racing bucket seats.
Under the bonnet was a 204hp 1.6-litre turbocharged four-pot that was lively enough to propel this little Terry's Chocolate Orange from 0 to 62mph in just 6.5secs and on to a top speed of 146mph. Driving it was a real hoot, too, its 18-inch alloys shod with sticky Bridgestone Potenzas, its firm chassis resisting roll, and its nifty Brembo brakes allowing you to brake late and deep into a hairpin. Okay, so maybe the steering could have been a fraction more responsive, the ride a little less stiff and the handling a tad better balanced, but you see when you're daring to be different you can't always be expected to get all the finer details right - for the most part this car was terrific fun.
We found this one in our classifieds, and it looks clean and comes with a mere 55,000 miles on the clock and a complete service history. It looks a million dollars but costs just under £10k, which must make it a sound return.
SPECIFICATION: CITROEN DS3 RACING
Engine: Front 1.6-litre inline turbocharged four
Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 204
Torque (lb ft): 203
0-62mph: 6.5 seconds
Top speed: 146mph
Weight: 1165kg
CO2: 149g/km
First registered: 2011
Recorded mileage: 55,000
Price when new: £23,100
Price now: £9,999
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